Smart Assistant Scam

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Smart Assistant Scam

These smart assistants don’t exactly have the world’s yellow pages saved in their databases. They rely, instead, on search engine results, the very same ones you see when you Google (or Bing) something up in a browser. The thing is, despite Google’s never-ending attempts, there will always be those willing to game the system to be the top result in a search.

Unfortunately, most if not all smart assistants are unable to distinguish actual facts from those presented by search results. In other words, the phone number that might come up for a business or service may not be the actual legit phone number. That, is how these new scams happen.

Say you want to get help with a printer and ask a smart assistant to call the manufacturer’s tech support. The assistant will simply dial the first number that comes up in search results which may not actually be the real tech support line for that company. Instead, you get a sly scammer with enough skills to con people into paying for services or promos that never existed in the first place.

It is best to practically avoid searching for phone numbers online and to just use the listing provided on the business’ website. Presuming, of course, you’re looking at the legitimate website of that business. It is also better paying using credit cards which are easier to dispute. When you pay by debit card or, worse, through wire, you’ve practically paid with cash.

If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam you should promptly report it to the IC3's website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3's complaint database links complaints together to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration.

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